


Stars and Hyperspace Between the Spaces of You and of I

by victoriousscarf



Series: Stars and Cinders [6]
Category: DCU
Genre: Alternate Universe - Star Wars Setting, Canon-Typical Violence, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-24
Updated: 2016-07-24
Packaged: 2018-07-26 13:06:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,820
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7575091
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/victoriousscarf/pseuds/victoriousscarf
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He shouldn't have been the last person Dick expected to meet on the fringes of space and yet somehow he hadn't seen this coming.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Stars and Hyperspace Between the Spaces of You and of I

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, hey, I promised this scene for /ages/ here you all go. 
> 
> Take "Haunted" by Poe and "Come Back to Me" by Les Fiction as your music today.

Something was wrong.

Dick couldn't yet grasp what it was as he wandered deeper into the smuggler's base but it itched at the back of his senses, scraping raw and angry. Poking a crate with the toe of his boot, he frowned, because he was in a room full of almost identical crates and yet something made him want to check this one.

Glancing around to make sure he had not missed any of the smugglers, Dick pushed the top off the crate and stared at the high grade weapons inside. He picked up one of the vibroblades and swung it through the air with a frown. These looked like relics from the Mandolorian Wars, shined to a new polish and capable of stopping the swing of a lightsaber.

These smugglers had seemed far too scattered and low level for weapons of this caliber.

Setting it back down in the crate and sliding the lid closed, Dick checked a few more crates, finding more of the same.

These were all weapons capable of stopping Jedi.

He had his comm out, ready to at least call his ship to record a message when a sound from the next room over caught his attention. For a while he froze, indecisive. He could finish the call in case something went wrong or he could see who else was there. Most of the smugglers had been near the front of the warehouses when he arrived, and scattered quickly when he had knocked the first few down.

They were too cowardly for this level of firepower. That meant the leader was still somewhere else.

Dick dropped his comm back into his belt and pulled his lightsabers back out before palming the next door open.

He walked into darkness and shut the door behind him, cutting off the bright light that made it hard to see. Slowly his eyes adjusted to the low levels of light, just in time for new bright lights to be switched on. Wincing, he looked up to the walkway above, where a figure leaned, clapping.

“You made it. I knew I should have hired better, but what can you do? There's shockingly few people willing to go against the Jedi. As if they're still so scary.”

“Aren't we?” Dick asked, tipping his head back and he couldn't figure out anything about this man, except that there was a level of rage that obscured anything else Dick might have been able to sense from his mind.

He wore a spacer's jacket and a red helmet that obscured his face completely.

There was no ping of recognition in Dick as he stepped forward.

“You think you are,” the man allowed. “The big bad defenders of the galaxy. Revan really fucked your whole order up, you know?”

“That was several hundred years ago,” Dick pointed out.

“And have you ever recovered?” the man asked, and he dropped down from the walkway, landing cat like in front of Dick. Dick stared, because that move used the Force to guide the fall and he lit his blades before he thought about it.

The man laughed, and Dick wanted to use the Force to yank the red visor up, just to see who he was actually dealing with. “Oh, noticed that, did you?”

“Who are you?” Dick asked. “You're far above the level of the smugglers you hired.”

“Oddly, if you don't have a reputation, that's all you can hire,” the man said with a shrug, holding his hands out. “I'm working on it.”

“Must have some sort of rep just from the quality of your product,” Dick said. “You can't find this stuff overnight.”

“As I said, I'm working on it,” he said, and Dick was still holding both his lightsabers lit. “So, are you expecting a fight?”

“It's on my mind as a possibility,” Dick said. “You'll have to excuse that I like being prepared.”

The man cocked his head to one side. “Must be hard, being a Jedi alone on the fringes of known space. Ever worry you?”

“Why would it?” Dick asked, but his throat was suddenly dry.

The man shrugged again and in between one beat the the next a grey lightsaber was in Dick's face and they fell into battle like it was as easy as breathing.

Dick admitted he had expected a differently colored blade, as he blocked one swing and ducked under the other's guard only to be thrown back by a Force push that he flipped out of instead of letting himself be slammed into the wall.

He almost thought the other was _happy_ , a bright note singing in the Force between them before it was buried under the buzz of the other's rage again. That caused Dick to stumble, and when the man's elbow knocked into his chin he staggered back.

Shaking his head to clear it, Dick got his blades up in a cross block barely in time, but something told him the other wasn't actually trying to cut him in half. “Is there a reason we're fighting?”

“Is there a reason you're interrupting my operation and scaring off the only low lives that would work with me?”

“I admit to some concern over the arsenal you're producing,” Dick said.

“Maybe I'm going Sith hunting,” the man shrugged.

“You're not a Jedi,” Dick said, and their blows were almost turning lazy. They were sweeping arcs that moved too slowly to be a threat and it felt more like a dance.

“No,” the man agreed, almost amiable except for the rage Dick could still feel.

“Then what are you?” Dick asked, and he executed a complicated series of swings that the other man fell into blocking without realizing that Dick was testing him.

He seemed to comprehend that they had just moved through one of the Jedi practice katas when it was over and the anger spiked viciously for a second before he stepped back. “What do you want?” he growled.

“I want to know who you are,” Dick said, because there was a name at the edge of his conscious that he refused to acknowledge.

“Kriff you,” the man snapped.

“I just,” Dick stepped forward, lowering both of his blades because it could not be—

The man growled and punched Dick in the face, a move so unexpected Dick rocked back on his heels. “Stop prying, stop pushing. You shouldn't even be this far out on your own, what are you thinking—”

“Jason,” Dick said with all the conviction he had.

The man froze, and Dick should have seen it the instant the man had moved, the angry tip of his head. He had bulked up, and gotten taller since Dick last saw him and that almost made a sob catch in the back of Dick's throat.

How long had it been? How long had Dick thought he was dead? It had only been a handful of months since Slade told him—

And like every time Dick thought about Slade, he took half a step back and had to shudder.

“You don't know that for sure,” Jason said.

“Yes I do,” Dick said and he dropped his blades, stupid and unable to stop it. “ _Please_.”

“What are you even asking me for?” Jason snapped and Dick could pick out his voice underneath the helmet's distorter now.

“At least take off the helmet,” Dick said and there was a heavy pause between them. Dick forced himself not to reach out.

“Not sure you really want that,” Jason said after a beat.

Dick shook his head, hoping he was meeting Jason's eyes through the helmet. “Yes, I do. Jason, do you have any idea—”

“Don't start with me!” Jason yelled, half stepping forward like he wanted to simply punch Dick in the face again.

“Do you have any idea how much I've missed you?” Dick said anyway. “They didn't tell me you were gone. I was buried in some diplomatic mission on the outer rim and by the time I got back months had passed. Bruce was trying to kill himself and no one had bothered to call me and _tell me you were gone_.”

There was too much anger in him and he bit his cheek hard, trying to push some of it back down.

Jason had frozen. “What do you mean?” he asked.

“When I came back,” Dick said softly. “I was ready to tear apart half the galaxy but Bruce showed me your lightsaber and insisted it was over. How was I supposed to—you told me not to start with you as if I had any chance to,” and he shook his head. “If I had felt you were alive I wouldn't have stopped until I found you.”

There was a moment where Jason didn't move before he reached up, pulling the helmet with the red visor off and Dick sucked in an unhappy breath, because there was the sprawl of a lightning shaped scar on Jason's cheek, like Force lightning had been applied specifically there, all that power in a concentrated, tiny space.

“You have, you have no idea,” and Dick's breath caught, because Slade had stared at him with a confused smirk when he started pulling his Jedi robes off. “What I would have done—” _what I did_ “—to protect you.”

“Sorry,” Jason shrugged. “It's been a while since I believed anyone about that.”

“Bruce said you tried to kill his new padawan,” Dick said, and Jason's eyes weren't amber, but there were a strange, washed out grey with barely a hint of his old blue in them.

“Of course I did,” Jason snapped. “My body wouldn't have been cold by the time he replaced me.”

“You know that's not true,” Dick said.

“And have you taken the new padawan under your wing already?” Jason sneered and now Dick understood the white noise of his rage, and why he had it. “Given him your secure line and a promise to always be there?”

“Are you trying to wring from me some confession that you were not special to me?” Dick asked. He wanted to shake and suddenly felt a spike of fear go through him when he felt a stirring at the back of his mind, a questioning probe because he was reacting too strongly to everything. He shove right back at the bond, reassuring himself Slade was nowhere nearby, but lazy and feeling stated systems away, yet curious now.

Dick tried to shore his shields back up and met Jason's eyes again, while Jason looked confused.

The intrusion of Slade only made him remember more clearly what he had done for Slade's promise. He wondered if since it was Slade who left before he did it was still something the Mandolorian would adhere to.

“Well,” Jason said, still obviously confused by Dick's sudden withdrawal. “Did you?”

“Of course I did, Jason,” Dick said. “That boy doesn't deserve me to hate him just because he's not you. He's his own person! And now he's the one dealing with Bruce.”

Jason made a disgusted sound and looked away.

“For Kriff's sake, Jason! The things I have done for you—”

“You would have done for anyone else,” Jason said and Dick forgot for a second they had been fighting, and that he was here because Jason was gathering weapons and smugglers.

“I would not have,” Dick said, almost a snarl, and couldn't shake the image of Slade watching him strip that first time. _“His life is worth that to you?”_ Slade had asked and then later, _“And your willingness to sacrifice for him? Is that in acceptable Jedi parameters?”_

“Yeah?” Jason said.

“Are you really this petty?” Dick asked. “Petty enough I have to prove to you somehow you were unique to me? Is having me say I missed you like an ache not enough? Would saying that I love you be enough?”

Jason stopped and turned. “What?”

“You were looking for me,” Dick said. “I know you were. When I was missing.”

“And how do you know that?” Jason asked. “Speaking of which, why the kriff are you out here alone so soon?”

Dick waved an angry hand, dismissing his last question. “Because the man holding me said you were.”

Jason stared at him for a long moment, confusion on his face again. “You say love like any other Jedi,” Jason said. “It barely means a thing. You love everyone with the same detached—”

“It's not within acceptable Jedi parameters,” Dick said stiffly.

They stared at each other. “Jason what happened to you?” Dick asked. “You haven't fallen, not fully, and you won't carry a red blade. But you gather weapons and smugglers instead of coming back to the Temple—”

“I will not come back to the Temple!” Jason yelled. Dick just swallowed, having expected that.

“Why not?” he asked, forcing his voice calm.

“The Jedi order is weak,” Jason said, obviously wrestling himself back under control. “I refuse to be tied to them.”

“If you do anything against the order,” Dick said his voice low. “If you instigate a civil war like some outer rim warlord. If you hurt innocents on any world, no matter how far away it is, I will fight you. I will come for you and I will stop you.”

“I just want to hunt Sith,” Jason said, eyes blazing.

“And kill Tim,” Dick pointed out.

“That was a disoriented moment of weakness,” Jason said and then paused, meeting Dick's gaze almost shyly. “That's it, though? You'd let me go? Not try and drag me back the order as a corrupt, fallen Jedi or something?”

“You haven't fallen that far,” Dick said through a dry throat. “At least, not at the moment. I've been farther down than you are right now. If you stay this way, then there's no reason to drag you back for a trial that would be a mockery anyway.”

“Dick,” Jason said.

“I just want to know that you're alive somewhere in the galaxy,” Dick said. “I want to know you haven't fallen completely into darkness and that you might someday come home.”

“I don't have a home,” Jason said, immediately. If they were just speaking of Dick, it seemed like Jason was willing to let go of some of his anger and speak to him, but the instant the order as a whole came up, Jason's rage would spike again.

“Do you remember that stone?” Dick asked. “I've never figured out anything to call it, or remembered the world it came from—I could look it up in the mission reports I'm sure, if I really cared to. The one that sang to both of us, that you said helped your nightmares?”

Jason stared at him before finally nodding.

“I still have it,” Dick said faintly. “Or rather, have it again. I got it back from Bruce. If I had it with me right now I would give it back to you again,” he said. “I'm sure you have more nightmares to chase off.”

“You have no idea,” Jason said lowly.

“Maybe you think you can never be a Jedi again,” Dick said. “I don't pretend to know what was done to you, the anger and pain you think broke you.”

“No one came for me,” Jason said.

“I know,” Dick whispered. “No one came for me either. We were just dealing with very different Sith, who wanted very different things from us. I was there for months and no one came for me. But I knew—I knew you were looking.”

Jason looked like Dick had hit him.

“So don't come back to the order,” Dick said. “Hunt Sith. Just let me know you're still _alive_ and haven't crossed lines you can't come back from.”

“What if I already did?” Jason said. “I was out of my mind, Dick, when I woke up.”

“Do you regret it?” Dick asked. “Whatever you did?”

“Of course I,” and Jason looked away. “Dick, I'm going to do terrible things. I know I am. The point is to do them against the darkness, but that doesn't mean I won't be darkening myself as well.”

Dick thought about his deal with Slade. “I know,” he said. “Just come _back to me_.”

Jason almost laughed. “I admit, this is not the conversation I expected to have with any Jedi who came hunting me down, let alone you, Knight Grayson.” His eyes were glimmering though and Dick looked away.

“I've missed you too much, too long, for it to be anything else,” he said.

“Stars, Dick,” and Jason was moving toward him. “What the kriff happened to you?”

“You don't want,” Dick started and Jason was there, across the tiny space that had been between them and he grabbed Dick's face, yanking him into a harsh kiss. Dick went more willingly than he had expected himself to, his fingers wrapping around the back of Jason's head and standing on his toes to make the angle easier on his neck as he swallowed Jason's hot breath.

“Always,” Jason was murmuring, in between moments, as he pressed against Dick's mouth from every angle. “Always have I—always so damned,” and his breath hitched when Dick bit the bottom of his lip. “So damned beautiful,” Jason said and pulled his mouth away to press his cheek against Dick's hair. “I always wanted to be special to you, the whole Code be damned.”

“You were,” Dick said. “You are—”

And Jason kissed him again, pressing him back against the wall and it felt too much like—

Suddenly Dick tensed, as Slade probed the bond again, systems away and amusement starting to sour toward rage.

With a yelp Dick shoved Jason away, putting the Force behind his push and causing Jason to stumble back and over. “What?” he asked, confused as Dick wrapped his arms around himself and sank down to the ground, shaking.

“Dick, what is it?” Jason asked, hovering.

“I can't,” Dick said. “I can't do this.”

“Because of the Code?” Jason sneered, the dazed happiness that had been in his eyes abruptly melting away.

“No,” Dick shook his head. “ _Damn_ the Code, no.” Jason hesitated before he stepped forward again, Dick still curled up on the ground against the wall.

“Dick,” he said. “What's wrong?”

“I can't,” Dick said quietly. “Just, please believe me, I just can't.”

“Will you at least tell me why?” Jason demanded.

“No,” Dick said. “I can't do that either.” He shook his head, not for the first time wishing he could reach into his head and simply yank the bond out, no matter what damage it did to his own mind. Cradling his head in his hands, he shook it again. “I can't.”

Jason knelt in front of him and that static rage he used to mask his feelings had faded away, and Dick could feel the concern like it was stabbing him. “Dick,” Jason said.

“I don't care if you come home,” Dick said, looking up. “But I want you to come back to me.”

“When?” Jason asked.

“Whenever you've finished what you want to finish,” Dick said.

“We might end up on other sides of a battle, at this point,” Jason said. “I can't guarantee we won't.”

“I know,” Dick said. “Just try not to, alright?”

“No promises,” Jason said giving him a half smile that made Dick ache. He reached forward, about to pull Jason tight against him when he realized the scratch against the back of his mind, the Force sense that spoke of danger still hadn't quieted down.

“Someone wants to kill you,” he said, and his hand went out, one of his fallen blades snapping into his hand at the same time that the doorway over the walkway slid open, one of the smugglers stepping through. His blaster was obviously better quality than any of the others and there was a cold hardness in his eyes.

“What makes you say that?” Jason asked, his own blade jumping up into his hand and they both rose as one. “Could be after you.”

“No, I'm fairly sure it's you,” Dick said, like he hadn't just been curled up on the floor on the edge of going mad.

The smuggler's lips drew back in a snarl. “Well, two Jedi is even better than one.”

“You sure you wanna do this?” Dick asked, grinning and beside him Jason snorted. “You're rather exposed.”

“You're rather far down there,” the smuggler shot back and opened fire, Dick trying to deflect the first bolt and realizing the gun must have been modified some how to be absorbed by a lightsaber instead of reflected.

“Well, that's annoying,” he remarked as beside him Jason ducked behind some of the crates and threw his blade out, guiding it with the Force right into the man's chest. When he fell, Jason waved his hand and his lightsaber whistled through the air right back to him. Dick met his gaze steadily.

“Are you going to report this meeting to the council?” Jason asked.

“No,” Dick said after a beat.

Jason almost laughed. “That's not very Jedi of you. What about to Bruce?”

“No,” Dick decided again.

Jason's brows inched up but he nodded, scooping his helmet back up and hooking his blade on his belt. “Well. I guess I get to reload all these weapons myself, which will be fun. Or hire some new morons.”

“Maybe vet them better this time,” Dick said softly.

“Oh, I'm sure every group will include some assassin or another,” Jason shrugged.

“Have you already made someone that angry?” Dick asked and felt his bottom drop out, hoping it wasn't Slade. But Slade would want to kill him himself, not hire someone to do it.

“Oh, yeah,” Jason said and laughed, a harsh and bitter sound. “Yeah, I have.”

Dick curled his hand in Jason's jacket and yanked him down. “Come back to me,” he said softly. “Promise.”

“I'll do whatever is in my power,” Jason said and his eyes were dark as he met Dick's. “Wanna promise me the same?”

“I'll do whatever is my power,” Dick whispered.

“And whatever it is that's gotten in your head?” Jason asked softly.

“I can't promise anything about that,” Dick said. “But I. I'll try.”

Jason kissed him again, soft but open mouthed, sharing his air with Dick and Dick tipped his head back, trying just to breath through his nose so he wouldn't have to pull back. But eventually they both parted.

“I hope you don't mind if I ask you to go first,” Jason said and Dick paused before he nodded, turning around before he wouldn't, and walked out of the warehouse. Entering his ship, he took off for atmosphere, looking at the stars as he sank back into his seat.

Once he was in hyperspace, he put his hands over his face and sobbed, body shaking and no one could possibly see him in that moment.

  
  


 


End file.
